Maids of Misfortune


M. Louisa Locke - 2009
    Annie’s husband squandered her fortune before committing suicide five years earlier, and one of his creditors is now threatening to take the boardinghouse she owns to pay off a debt. Annie Fuller also has a secret. She supplements her income by giving domestic and business advice as Madam Sibyl, one of San Francisco’s most exclusive clairvoyants, and one of Madam Sibyl’s clients, Matthew Voss, has died. The police believe his death was suicide brought upon by bankruptcy, but Annie believes Voss has been murdered and that his assets have been stolen. Nate Dawson has a problem. As the Voss family lawyer, he would love to believe that Matthew Voss didn't leave his grieving family destitute. But that would mean working with Annie Fuller, a woman who alternatively attracts and infuriates him as she shatters every notion he ever had of proper ladylike behavior. Sparks fly as Anne and Nate pursue the truth about the murder of Matthew Voss in this light-hearted, cozy historical mystery set in the foggy gas-lit world of Victorian San Francisco. Maids of Misfortune is the first book in M. Louisa Locke’s historical mystery series, see also, Uneasy Spirits, and Bloody Lessons, as well as the two short stories based on the characters from the novels, Dandy Detects, and The Misses Moffet Mend a Marriage.

Becoming Zara


Lillianna Blake - 2015
    I don’t usually tell that last bit to strangers, but I say it in my head all the time. It’s one of the many mantras that have helped me to get to where I am today. And believe me when I say that I’ve come a long way. Besides, if you’re a woman and you happen to have ever struggled with issues of self-esteem, we’re probably gonna be fast friends anyway, so I won’t hold anything (much) back.Oh, and Zara wasn’t the name I was born with—but you’ll find out more about that in the book.I don’t know about you, but my own struggle with my weight has held me back a bit in life. And my self-esteem took a real nose dive after my fiancé dumped me—via text, no less. (I know, right? Jerk!…but I don’t usually dwell on things in the past, so let’s just move right along from that, shall we?) So, I’m still a work-in-progress for sure, but I’m really starting to figure it all out—how to be more of who I’m meant to be every day—including the bumps, the lumps, and my bruised ego along the way.Oh and I love my sisterhood (more about that later) - the women who join me in believing that we are all capable of being strong, amazing, warrior princesses—just the way we are right now. ***FUN FACT: “Becoming Zara” is a standalone novella, but if you’re following the character of Samantha Bradford as she crosses off the items of her bucket list (the Single Wide Female Series), this is the book that Samantha publishes to complete her bucket list item #18 (Publish a Book).Note: You can download #1 Learn Pole Dancing of that series for free.

Tear Down and Die


Joanna Campbell Slan - 2013
    She never expected to uncover an old boyfriend and a dead body… Stuart, Florida--With her parents deceased and her son away at college, Cara Mia Delgatto longs to reinvent herself. And a sentimental purchase of a fixer-upper in a small, coastal town seems ideal for a new business selling repurposed relics. But when she trips over a corpse at her rundown building, she flips from renovator to prime suspect. Desperate to clear her name, it shocks Cara to discover that her property once housed a multi-million dollar art collection—stolen after the original owner’s death. And when her first love shows up and tugs at her heartstrings, her whirlwind life upgrades to a hurricane. With accusations of murder and theft looming, she’s running out of redos. Can Cara crack the case and rebuild her reputation, or will her desire to upcycle treasures send her to jail? Tear Down and Die is the charming first novel in the Cara Mia Delgatto traditional mystery series. If you like cozy reads, witty heroines, former flames reconnecting, and Florida’s beautiful Treasure Coast, you’ll adore Joanna Campbell Slan’s captivating tale.

The Woman


David Bishop - 2011
    This is a story of just one woman. As the story unfolds Linda gradually learns that some people do deserve to die, but that she is not one of those people. Linda Darby is a seven-year divorcee, living quietly in a small let-the-world-go-by beach town on the coast of Oregon, who day trades for a living. Her only close friend is a widowed elderly woman who manages a small consulting company, which, as is later discovered, never has visitors, sends and receives its business correspondence only by courier, and is not listed in any phone directory. No one in town knows what kind of consulting the company does, but the rumor is that whatever they do is done for the government. Linda doesn’t date local men. When her celibacy grows intolerable, she visits nearby towns to frequent the watering holes of successful men. Her motto: No relationships. No second dates. No use of her real name during one-night stands. Then one evening, Linda goes for a walk and nothing for her is ever the same. She is dragged into an alley by two men, but saved by a third, a stranger who disappears as suddenly as he appeared. The next day she finds out the two men in the alley had been killed, the town’s first murders ever. The following day she learns that hours before she had been dragged into the alley, her close friend was tortured and killed.

Sweet Masterpiece


Connie Shelton - 2010
    But her real dream is to open her own pastry shop, Sweet's Sweets.Life is a little crazy for Sam right now. At one of her break-in properties a dying woman insists that she take a small wooden box. Sam doesn't realize that the old woman was known locally as a bruja, a witch, until she begins to feel some strange effects from the box, herself.Meanwhile, at another property, she finds an unmarked grave and the authorities come to investigate. The property owner disappeared a few months earlier and Sam wonders--who is the body in the grave? A small mural in the house leads to a connection with a famous artist; a bogus will points to possible fraud; and the handsome deputy investigating the case seems completely enchanted with Sam.While Sam scrambles to fill bakery orders and keep her properties in order, she's equally intrigued with the idea of a new romance. It all makes for a delightful romantic mystery with elements of the paranormal.

Murder at Merisham Lodge


Celina Grace - 2016
    Unfortunately, it’s not enough to prevent her being bludgeoned to death one night in the study of Merisham Lodge, the family’s country estate in Derbyshire. Suspicion quickly falls on her ne’er-do-well son, Peter, but not everyone in the household is convinced of his guilt. Head kitchen maid Joan Hart and lady’s maid, Verity Hunter, know that when it comes to a crime, all is not always as it seems. With suspicions and motives thick on the ground, Joan and Verity must use all the wit and courage they possess to expose a deadly murderer who will stop at nothing to achieve their aim… Murder at Merisham Lodge is the first in a new series of historical mysteries, Miss Hart and Miss Hunter Investigate, set in the 1930s. The author, Celina Grace, is the creator of the bestselling The Kate Redman Mysteries and The Asharton Manor Mysteries, as well as several standalone thrillers.

Sarah Woods Mystery Series


Jennifer L. Jennings - 2013
    This series is intended for mature audiences. An Appointment with Murder The first book in the series introduces you to massage therapist, Sarah Woods. While working late one evening at her office, Sarah finds her assistant has been strangled in the short time she was in the back with a client. Who would have done such a horrible thing? Was it a random killing or someone she knew? Although the police are investigating Sarah can't seem to stay out of it and embarks on a journey to find the killer. An Act of Deceit Sarah Woods adventures continue in this book when she decides to work for Carter, the unorthodox private eye from Boston. Sarah must go way beyond her comfort zone as the pair find creative ways to expose a cheating husband, Marty Quinn. When Marty ends up dead, the assignment takes a whole new twist. This is a fast paced, fun mystery read. A great blend of witty dialogue, suspense and enough adult humor to keep it interesting.

Gone With The Ghost


Erin McCarthy - 2017
    Except that’s exactly what happened. Ryan is very much dead, having shot himself with his own police-issued gun. Guilt and grief shouldn’t cause hallucinations though, but six months after Ryan went into the ground, Bailey is freaking out and swearing his ghost is standing in her kitchen. Which he is… Ryan claims he didn’t commit suicide, but was murdered, and he needs Bailey to help him find his killer so he can earn his ticket out of purgatory. Ryan’s counting on a stairway to heaven, as opposed to wings, since that might be a little unmanly for a cop, even a dead one. An expert in home design, with her own staging business, Bailey can tell you where to place a couch to improve flow and comfort, but solving a crime? Not her area of expertise. But with help from Ryan’s former partner, Marner, she is unraveling the mystery of what happened to Ryan that day… and unwittingly putting herself in grave danger. Murder By Design Series Book 1- Gone With The Ghost Book 2- Silence of The Ghost Book 3- Once Upon a Ghost Bestselling author Erin McCarthy offers her signature humor in this fun series about an uptight fashion-conscious home stager who finds herself stiletto-deep in murder...

Witch Is When It All Began


Adele Abbott - 2015
    Private investigator, Jill Gooder, has been hired to find a serial killer because, as usual, the police can't buy a clue. Jill, the not so proud owner of a crazy, one-eyed cat, probably can't expect too much help from her PA/Secretary, Mrs V, who spends all day knitting. And just in case all of that wasn't bad enough, Jill's just about to discover she's a witch. ...break out the custard creams.

Entangled


Barbara Ellen Brink - 2010
    One summer of her childhood is a mystery she intends to solve. But digging up her past also lays bare the skeletons of others, including her mother’s. Entangled between what she once believed and a new reality, will she be able to live with the consequences of full disclosure?

A Family Saga


Patricia Keyson - 2014
    She has big dreams and a warm heart. But when her first love affair ends badly, she finds herself struggling to deal with the consequences. A Family Saga charts Bea’s highs and lows over the decades, with family secrets, changing relationships, raising children, and the triumphs and tragedies of everyday life. Despite all the pressures of a large family and little money, Bea still works hard to pursue her dreams and desires. Finally, Bea seems to have found the recognition she has always hoped for, but an old lover threatens to snatch it all away. Will Bea find recognition and happiness? Or will the mistakes of her youth continue to haunt her? Find out in 'A Family Saga,' a book you won’t want to put down Patricia Keyson is the bestselling author of LADY HOPE, THE MAGIC TOUCH, LAW OF ATTRACTION, HOLIDAY ROMANCE, SNOWBOUND WITH A STRANGER, CHERRY BLOSSOMS, and SUZI LEARNS TO LOVE AGAIN all available on Kindle.

Publishable By Death


A.C.F. Bookens - 2019
    Quiet St. Marin’s has just gotten a little more lively . . . and a little less alive.All Harvey Beckett wants to do is read books, help the residents of St. Marin’s find the perfect book for that moment, and snuggle with her hound dog Mayhem. But when the small, waterside town’s newest resident discovers the body of the community’s persnickety reporter in her bookshop storeroom on opening day, Harvey finds herself bound and determined to figure out the crime. Her task won’t be easy, though, since the town is flooded with visitors for the first annual Harriet Tubman Festival to honor the community’s most famous resident. Plus, a quiet but charming mechanic named Daniel isn’t helping with her concentration at all.Publishable By Death is the first book in the St. Marin’s Cozy Mystery Series by ACF. Bookens.

FOOD TRUCK MYSTERIES: Books 6-10 (A Cozy Mystery Bundle)


Chloe Kendrick - 2016
     A THIEF OF ANY MAN Maeve Kinkaid, owner of the food truck Dogs on the Roll, prides herself on her financial management skills, until she realizes that someone is pilfering small amounts from the register. As she begins to take steps to stop the thefts, she learns of a larger plot that could put her business in jeopardy. But when murder enters the picture, she worries she could lose more than just her money... JUSTICE IS SERVED When food truck owner Maeve Kinkaid is asked to be in her friend Gina’s wedding, she expects to come in taffeta, not in her truck...but she winds up catering the event with the help of her Basque boyfriend, Land Mendoza. One of the guests dies with a hot dog in his pocket and Maeve has to solve the crime before the police try to link the unsavory murder to her catering firm. A GRAVE CONCERN When some of the homeless men near Government Square are not what they seem to be, food truck owner Maeve Kinkaid is driven to find out what’s going on. Her investigation takes her into the odd world of Capital City’s art district and the potentially dangerous world of the local political scene. Maeve and Land mingle with the rich, but they quickly learn that money doesn’t solve all problems…especially not the violent kinds. FIVE WILL GET YOU TWENTY Life is good for food truck owner Maeve Kinkaid. She’s engaged, making good money, and buying a third truck. When Maeve decides to park her latest food truck next to those of mogul Ryan Pohler, odd things begin to happen. The pranks are minor at first, but as they escalate in frequency and severity, Maeve begins to wonder if Pohler is behind the attacks. Of course, Maeve can’t leave something like this alone and investigates the incidents. Even with everything she’s whipped up in the past, she isn’t prepared for what she’ll find. DEADLY BELOVED Food truck operator Maeve Kinkaid has her hands full preparing for her wedding, but she thinks she has everything under control…until she meets a woman who claims to be her fiancé wife. As if that doesn’t complicate things enough, Maeve gets caught up in an deadly espionage plot and is forced to solve puzzles that will save lives, including her fiancé’s. Does she have a quick enough wit to stop an assassination and still say, “I do?”

The Secret of Seaside


Agatha Ball - 2017
    AND MURDER! Paige Comber dreams of running off to Paris to train at the Cordon Bleu, but fresh out of college, she is stuck running her granny's coffee shop in the small town of Seaside. It looks like a lousy summer until a handsome stranger named Nate arrives. He's here to help his Uncle Byron with his affairs, but when his uncle's body washes up on the beach and Nate is thrown into prison, it is up to Paige to find out who might have been crazy enough to do it. BOOK ONE in the PAIGE COMBER MYSTERY series

Beach Town Boogie


Bart Hopkins Jr. - 2015
    But things have gotten a bit more complex lately. This week she's been stalked, attacked, and embroiled in a murder investigation. And it's only Thursday.